YI Technology announces consumer-level 360 live VR camera

YI Technology today announced the YI 360 VR consumer-level live VR camera. The new model is capable of capturing 360-degree spheric video footage at 5.7K resolution and 30 frames per second. It also offers 4K instant in-device stitching and 2.5K live-streaming.

The camera weighs only six ounces and can be controlled via basic on-device controls or a mobile app. It uses a pair of 220-degree lenses and 12MP Sony IMX377 CMOS sensors to record video footage or 5.7K 360-degree still images.

“Virtual reality is exciting. It promises a whole new range of opportunities for creating and sharing truly immersive experiences,” said Sean Da, CEO of YI Technology, “but it can also be really intimidating. For VR to truly take off it has to be easy and fun. At YI Technology, we challenge ourselves to bring the most innovative technologies together in a way that is simple, enjoyable and useful for anyone, from kids to professionals. VR is no exception. Too many of today’s solutions are exciting in theory but really complicated in practice. That is why we worked so hard to perfect YI 360 VR. Using the best components, rigorous industrial design and many years of testing, we eliminated the cables, confusing interfaces and bulky components and added 5.7K fidelity, 4K in-device stitching and 2.5K live-streaming, all in a handy, affordable package so everyone can share exciting moments live, from any angle.”

The camera is available for pre-order from today at $399. Delivery is scheduled for June 2017. The Yi 360 VR will also be on display at this week’s NAB 2017 show in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NAB Show – YI Technology, the leading, international provider of advanced, intelligent imaging technologies, today announced the new YI 360 VR™, a major step in making truly high-end virtual reality video easy and accessible to anyone who wants to create and share content. Scheduled to be released in June 2017, the YI 360 VR™ is available for early ordering now and will be on display at this week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, NV.

With a simple, handheld and mountable camera design, the YI 360 VR™ is the first VR camera to combine high-fidelity, 360-degree video capture, mobile application for easy use along with 4K instant, in-device stitching and 2.5K live-streaming to any sharing channel. With these innovations, the YI 360 VR™ provides a complete solution for anyone to create immersive, 360-degree video experiences easily, quickly and anywhere.

“Virtual reality is exciting. It promises a whole new range of opportunities for creating and sharing truly immersive experiences,” said Sean Da, CEO of YI Technology, “but it can also be really intimidating. For VR to truly take off it has to be easy and fun. At YI Technology, we challenge ourselves to bring the most innovative technologies together in a way that is simple, enjoyable and useful for anyone, from kids to professionals. VR is no exception. Too many of today’s solutions are exciting in theory but really complicated in practice. That is why we worked so hard to perfect YI 360 VR. Using the best components, rigorous industrial design and many years of testing, we eliminated the cables, confusing interfaces and bulky components and added 5.7K fidelity, 4K in-device stitching and 2.5K live-streaming, all in a handy, affordable package so everyone can share exciting moments live, from any angle.”

YI 360 VR™ CAMERA HIGHLIGHTS:

VIVID: The camera delivers stunning video and images – in 360. YI 360 VR™ features professional-grade video quality at up to 5.7K/30fps in 360 degrees for post-production work, thanks to Ambarella’s virtual reality SOC H2V95 chip and a pair of sharp 220-degree lenses mated to a pair of 12MP SONY IMX377 CMOS sensors. It also captures 5.7K 360-degree still photos. Most other multi-lens VR cameras give you clunky, choppy video images and require streams to be stitched together on a computer. The YI 360 VR™ offers seamless in-device stitching without added software so anyone can make high-quality 4K, 360-degree VR videos instantly.

EASY: YI 360 VR™ is lightweight and compact. At only six ounces and easily mountable wherever you put an action camera, it can go anywhere you go. Simple controls are on the device or the companion YI 360 VR™ mobile app allows you to control the camera, preview, playback, edit and share 360-degree videos from any smartphone. Record for over an hour on one battery charge (AC power also included) the YI 360 VR™ connects with WiFi so you can view, edit and share instantly and continuously right in the app.

LIVE: YI 360 VR™ features up to 100Mbps high-speed WiFi (Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz & 5GHz) to enable users to live-stream 2.5K/30fps 360-degree videos or download photos and videos from camera to smartphone. Connect with a WiFi network and you can start live-streaming everything around you to Facebook, YouTube, and more at 2.5K in 360 Degrees. The high-speed WiFi makes photo auto-sync possible and video download extremely fast. Photos taken by the camera can be automatically synchronized to any smartphone instantly so manual download is no longer needed. Use the app to easily post photos or videos with one click to all your favorite social networks.

YI 360 VR™ is only one of YI Technology’s advanced 360-degree video solutions unveiled today at NAB 2017. The company also announced today the YI HALO™, the newest professional-grade 360-degree, stereoscopic camera for the Jump platform from Google.

See and experience YI Technology’s two new products, YI 360 VR™ and YI HALO™, at NAB 2017 in the Virtual & Augmented Reality Pavilion, Booth N1121VR. Visit www.yitechnology.com for more information.

Note, the company will also present its products at the Sixteenth Annual Las Vegas SuperMeet on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm in the Brasila Ballroom at the Rio Hotel.

XIAOYI (and by extension XIAOMI) are proving to be quite formidable and competitive. "Instant in-device stitching" was Theta's thing. No word on pricing for the 4K version of the Theta that was just announced at NAB. They might want to come in at $399. :-D

With their 4K Action Cam, M1 Mirrorless (with regular firmware updates), and now this VR cam, YI are worth more than a passing glance. Additionally, the supposedly related XIAOMI company is said to be targeting 2019 for a US cellular launch.

The YI camera looked nice in the specs sheet but failed miserably in practice. Quickly put together product with amateur alpha-like firmware. Did they update it so you can shoot video in anything but auto at the widest aperture? I would certainly not recommend preordering another YI product.

Hmmm... "failed miserably in practice". I've been practicing with my M1 quite a bit and seem to get good results. Firmware v2.0 added some nice quick menus and full-featured remote control. I'm not really a video shooter, but manual aperture seems to work just fine on my copy with a de-clicked lens. Is the YI M1 as good as an a current Olympus (E-PL8) or Panasonic (GX850) bodies? Well, no, not in refinement, but it is well built and YI has put out four firmware updates in six months based on customer feedback. I really don't understand the hatred towards this company.

If what you say is true it seems they not ordinary copycat because unlike GoPro Fusion which is a work in progress with no many details on specification, price and release date. This Yi 360 Live VR is a finished product and ready to launch to consumers by june 2017 and even they are able to provide improvement in some areas.

Many cameras today include built-in image stabilization systems, but when it comes to video that's still no substitute for a proper camera stabilization rig. The Ronin-S aims to solve that problem for DSLR and mirrorless camera users, and we think DJI has delivered on that promise.

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